733667-001-011-0100
AI Summary
A cargo aircraft crew reported observing irregular pulsating lights and a large black object while flying over Alaska. The FAA concluded that the lights were likely caused by atmospheric conditions.
Key Findings
- The Captain reported seeing irregular pulsating lights and a large black object at a distance of five miles. - The aircraft was flying at 37,000 feet with clear weather and a temperature inversion at 23,500 feet. - The lights appeared below the aircraft, moved beneath it, and then disappeared. - The FAA concluded the phenomenon was likely due to ice crystals in the atmosphere, as suggested by the Captain. - A separate sighting by a Flying Tigers Flight #73 was reported but not investigated by the FAA.
OCR Text
ae The Captain requested tne Center to record his description: "Ah, would you please, ah, record my voice, ah, ah, ahn...this is Japanese. Futeikina raito ga mieteriru. Choodo ookina kuroi katamari ga mae ni iru. Kyorinisnite go tiairu. Dooyara ucnuusen no moyoo." English translation: "We see irregular pulsating lignts just tnere is a large black chunk just in front of us distance is five miles it seems to be a spaceship. An, it likes, an, UFO, please, ah, cneck on your radar. Over." The cargo aircraft was about 240 nautical miles nortn of Nenana, Alaska, at 37,000 feet elevation. The weather was clear with a temperature inversion reported at 23,500 feet. Captain Teraucni reported the lights appeared in front of the aircraft, about 2,000 feet below, moved below the aircraft, and then disappeared behind the aircraft. The phenomenon then occurred again at approximately 151 nautical miles north of Nenana. It was noted at the FAA interview of the flight crew, which was conducted when they landed at Anchorage, that the aircraft flight path was north of and directly over the town of Arctic Village, Alaska, at the time of the first sighting and 45 nautical miles northwest and west of the village of Fort Yukon during the second sighting. Captain Terauchi said at the FAA interview that he thought the unusual lights he saw were those village lights that had been obscured or changed by ice crystals present in the atmosphere (the temperature inversion). The FAA has concluded its inquiry into this report and agrees with the Captain that the phenomena was most likely caused by ice crystals created by the reported temperature inversion. (3) The crew of a Flying Tigers Flight #73, Boeing 747, cargo aircraft, flying at 37,000 feet, reported observing a "target" heading 320 degrees as 1t approached Anchorage on November 21, 1985. The Air Force was unable to confirm the sighting. This sighting was not investigated by the FAA and there 1s no file or retrievable data. Steucke said, "The FAA is not in the UFO business and is not interested in reports that do not invoive aircraft or the air traffic control system."
Metadata
- Agency
- —
- Classification
- UNCLASSIFIED
- Department
- National Archives and Records Administration
- Catalog source
- View NARA catalog record
NARA Source
- NAID
- 733667
- File
- 733667-001-011-0100.jpg
- Type
- image/jpeg
No machine-readable OCR text for this asset. Photographs without captions may have no extractable text.